Arti Nigam Ph D Clinical Psychologist Licensed Psychologist

Arti Nigam, Ph. D. Clinical Psychologist Licensed Psychologist, San Jose, CA

About Me

About me - Education University of Maryland – College Park BS Psychology BA The Arts in Child Development University of Delaware MA Clinical Psychology Ph. D Clinical Psychology

About Me - Training – Du. Pont Hospital for Children, Delaware University of Maryland – Baltimore Mt. Washington Rehabilitation Hospital Yale University School of Medicine

Places I have worked Assembly line Research assistant during undergraduate Research associate, private nonprofit Community Counseling Center Science Education Nonprofit Group Psychology Practice University Teaching Private Psychology Practice

What is Psychology? The study of the mind, thought, and behavior

Psychologists have studied… Birds’ playful and social communication How parents talk to preverbal infants Changes in EEG when reading something unusual Brain changes and plasticity after injury Optimal approaches to foreign language education Workplace motivation and productivity Peripheral vision Safety signs in factories Pain management Athletic performance…

What is Clinical Psychology? What other branches are there? Focus on assessment and treatment of mental health issues. There are many branches of psychology Clinical Counseling Neuropsychology Cognitive Psychology Quantitative Psychology Health Psychology

Branches of psychology (contd) Some major branches of psychology (contd. ) Social Psychology Educational Psychology Industrial/Organizational Psychology Forensic Psychology and many more.

Clinical Psychology Great deal of overlap between branches. The rigor and scope of clinical psychology allows great flexibility in what direction(s) you take in your research or clinical career. Clinical psychology researchers often engage in interdisciplinary collaboration. Clinicians often specialize.

Clinical Psychology - Practitioners Psychotherapy – General practice Family therapy Disability evaluation Forensic psychology Psychoeducational testing Specialization by diagnosis, e. g. , eating disorders specialist, or by client population, or age range

Why NOT to become a psychotherapist Psychotherapy isn’t a field you go into to be wealthy. It is NOT a field you go into because it meets your needs to help you understand yourself, or to help you resolve problems in your life, or even “to prevent anyone from suffering how you did. ” To diagnose self, family, friends.

Psychology Practice is a calling You have to be right for it, more than it being right for you. If YOU are right for the field, you will be better able to help those who come to you.

What it takes to be a good Clinical Psychology Practitioner Stick-with-it-iveness Good personal ethics Perspective taking Emotional self-discipline, self regulation Able to critique self, hear and consider criticism Have some clarity on your own sense of morality Comfortable keeping confidences Natural tendency to respect and value people

What it takes to be a good Clinical Psychology Practitioner (2) Quick to see good in another, even if < charming Ability to see multiple valid sides in a dispute Innate drive towards positive mental health Know when you are struggling, and Seek out someone you trust to talk about it Develop healthy emotional boundaries Patience

My inspiration – Cultural Competency The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit. - Wade Davis

On being a psychotherapist The foundation of psychotherapy is the belief that a person has the best chance of sorting through and finding solutions for psychological difficulties within an emotionally safe space and in the context of a trusting, nonjudgemental, positive and healthy one-way (no-obligation) relationship.

Routines in a General Private Practice Things I might do in a typical day Check for messages from clients; call back if they need my help now. Dress professionally for work. Arrive early to review day’s cases, set up office, plan therapeutic focus for each client that day. Work with each client within a 50 -minute time frame, record progress notes and homework assignments. Phone and in-person intakes for new clients.

Typical day, contd If psychological testing, administer by correct protocol, score, interpret, write report (this is done over multiple days). Respond to any requests for release of records, with ethical considerations. Make note of any planned changes in approaches. Update billing information for my billing person. Double lock records before leaving.

Forensic Psychology Civil Child custody decisions Employment litigation Workers compensation Criminal Competency for trial Special factors for sentencing

Quantitative Psychology Great skill in research design and methodology, and statistical analysis, is critical in all research in psychology, but is the primary focus of quantitative psychologists. Quantitative psychologists may collaborate in the full range of research areas.

Quantitative Psychology

Learning Psychology

Developmental Psychology Applied Research Infant development Language learning Development of resiliency Transmission of culture Maturational processes and problems Issues in middle age or elder years

How many years do you study? You need a Ph. D to be an independently practicing psychologist, or a college faculty. But there are many people with Associates, Bachelors, or Masters degrees, who use their psychology degrees in their work.

With an Associates Degree Behavioral aide, working one-on-one with special needs children

With a Bachelors Degree (Important to gain relevant experience during undergraduate years. ) Research assistant Survey researcher Behavioral aide in a classroom or therapeutic setting Journalist Community advocacy Mediator

With a Masters Degree School Counselor Marriage and Family Therapist Test administration and scoring psych assistant Human factors specialist Mediator

With a Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology No license – Research and teaching careers With a license – Practice independently or in an agency or hospital Test, diagnose, treat individuals, groups Supervise other practitioners Research, consult, design treatment programs

Ph. D vs Psy. D A Psy. D program is less research-intense, and is designed for those who have decided they will be practitioners. Clinical training is equally rigorous.

Who else does psychotherapy? MSW, LCSW Licensed clinical social workers MFT Licensed marriage and family therapists Mental Health Nurse Practitioners

I wish I knew starting out that to be a clinical psychologist, after you get your Ph. D. , you have to have a year of post-doc training (in addition to predoc internship) and take another exam to be licensed. I wish I knew that it is critical to limit the nature and scope of your research projects to something doable in a limited amount of time. Easier to expand a small project, than to shrink a big one! Pick a little question!

Why I love the field So many interesting topics Related to everything we experience Satisfaction every day Most psychologists are great people Keep learning lifelong I can change my focus or specialization, when I want Overlaps with other fields is fascinating

Overlaps with other fields Psychology and Law Neuroscience Linguistics Statistics Education, Special education Rehabilitation Foreign Language

Overlaps with other fields (2) Psychology and… Communication/Journalism International Relations Public policy Computer science/Engineering Math and Statistics Finance Animal science Fine and performing arts

How to do well in the field Get involved. Talk to your professors. Find out what all the faculty in the department do for their research. Ask to see what goes on in faculty labs. If it is interesting to you, ask if you can volunteer as an RA. If you get an opportunity to RA, be punctual, diligent, and enjoy it! Talk with grad students about what they do. Take classes or second-major in an interesting related field. Travel, or get to know people from many backgrounds.

How to do well in the field (2) You have to love it. And you have to hustle. If you want to keep the option of eventually going to graduate school in psychology, Undergraduate GPA target ~3. 7 Experience Match of research interests

Salary Some specializations definitely pay more than others. Neuropsychology and Forensic psychology will pay well; compared to Designing therapeutic after school programs for children with emotional instability; compared to Providing psychotherapy at a clinic for the indigent. Specialization always helps. But you can switch.

Organizations American Psychological Association Synopsis Psi Chi Psyc. Info

How I came to choose this career Early empathy Early awareness Encyclopedia Had other potential paths also Bindi story

Questions? Please ask!